Providence Bay Beach — Attraction in Central Manitoulin

A lovely sandy beach on the island (which is at its best when it's not being overrun by tourists). Water quality is excellent, swimming is excellent, and the sand is excellent.

The drawbacks here are the dog owners who continue to ignore the clearly posted "NO DOGS ALLOWED" signs (despite having an area of the beach designated specifically for dogs), the lack of enforcement (nobody monitors whether anyone is following any of the rules), and the growing amount of cottages which continue to encroach along the beach (along with the owners who keep moving more and more of their belongings onto the beach in an effort to block or drive people away from the beach area in front of their cottage (which is still public land... for now).

Also of note is the Marina (which always used to be open to the public), but now has signs posted saying: "For Boaters Only". Come on. I used to fish off the dock here with my Dad when I was a kid. Stop trying to...

This is a great way to combine swimming and a park date all in one. Love the warm water and sand. The kids love playing. There was workout equipment for anyone who wants to get a bit of exercise in before a swim. We did find it was very crowded, lots of tourists in the summer and such. But the 4 stars is because i had a few issues with the play equipment. There is a large play yard here. But there is a lot more for the older kids and my younger one was very frustrated with not having as much to play on with her sister. We also found a lot of the spring rides (the ones you rock back and forth on) were too buried in sand to be of use. Clearly sand had been added to the beach but adjustments weren't made for the...

Due to the wildfires, there were no fireworks this year (2023). There's a discovery centre right at the beach, and it's free to visit. This is a safe and great beach for young families. Parking is free. The Lake Huron Fish&Chip place is just a block away (2-3 minutes walk) from the beach. I liked their foods. You can get ice cream from the store located next to the discovery centre, on the beach. According to the signage, dogs and horses are not allowed, but if you brought any other animal, the power-that-is may not say anything 😉. According to the souvenir cards sold in the gift store, this beach is a great place to take pictures of the raising full moon 🌝 🌚 and the milky way on a...